Things to Look Out For When Selecting an Email Marketing Service

Choosing the right email service provider for your business
is not always quick or easy. You will want to ensure that you choose a software
program that includes all the different factors your business needs in order to
make sure that your email marketing methods are a success.

In addition to a marketing software program that integrates
seamlessly with whichever customer relationship management software you are
using or one that has CRM built-in for you to use, you’ll also need to consider
a range of factors like mobile optimisation, email response, and automation
functionalities. After all, automated email campaigns make up a huge over 100%
of all email marketing revenue, so it’s safe to say it’s an important
consideration for your company. We’ve looked in more detail at the various
factors to keep in mind when choosing an email marketing service.

#1. Mobile Optimization:

With over 50% of email now opened on mobile devices, this
factor is becoming increasingly more important when it comes to choosing an
email marketing service. You can craft eye-catching, interesting emails that
should convert – but the sad truth is that if they can’t be opened and easily
read on a mobile device, all your effort will go to waste. Plus, statistics
show that emails read on a mobile device are more likely to be re-opened, so
it’s certainly important to look for software that provides optimised mobile
templates. And, you
can find more tips and advice for optimising your marketing emails for mobile
from the Digital Marketing Institute.

#2. Automation:

Whether you are sending just a few hundred or hundreds of
thousands of emails out every month, opt for software that provides you with
tools to automate the process and leave out as much manual work as possible.
Even if you’re not sending out masses of monthly emails, the amount of time
that it can take you to send just a few hundred out manually can be
significant, and it’s time that you can and should be spending better
elsewhere. When it comes to choosing an email marketing solution, the more
automation, the better.

#3. Integration:

Your customer relationship management software is a key
component in building and maintaining good relationships with both existing
customers and new prospects, many of whom will communicate with you via email
and all of whom should be recipients of your email marketing campaigns. It’s
crucial to look for an email marketing service that is able to seamlessly
integrate with any CRM software that you are currently using. Or, if you are
not yet using a CRM software this could be an ideal time to consider
implementing one in your company, with many software programs that will combine
CRM with email marketing for efficient and hassle-free integration. Check out
this list from Sendinblue where you can compare prices
and features for email marketing services that will work with various CRM
programs.

#4. Email Response:

Responses from customers to your marketing
emails are an instant sales lead, so it’s important that this is something
the relevant team can be notified about quickly so that you can get back in
touch straight away and start a conversation when required. So, look for an
email marketing software program that offers the option of automated responses,
or if you prefer to offer a more personal response, opt for one that can
aggregate any responses into tickets, which can then be passed quickly on to
the relevant employee or team to be dealt with. It is worth looking for a
software program that offers both these features; recipients will be able to
get an instant automated response before you further contact them in more
detail. This helps you build trust immediately with new prospects by showing
them your company is quick to respond.

#5. Ethical Marketing:

Today, the concerns for our data and how it is used are
growing, so you will want to ensure that your email marketing campaigns are as
ethical as possible. With GDPR now in full effect, the first feature that
you’ll need to look out for in this respect is a tool to help you ensure that
all emails are compliant with this regulation and that no data is held
unlawfully. GDPR
saved email marketing, according to Campaign Monitor – you should only be
sending marketing emails to recipients who have given you their express
permission to do so; this is usually via a newsletter sign-up on your website,
although there are other options for getting permission, such as adding it to a
checkbox in the checkout section of your site or partnering up with other
companies who will ask their customers permission to pass their details on to
you. You will want to make sure that your emails are going to inboxes rather
than spam folders, so look for an email marketing service with a delivery rate
of at least 98%.

When it comes to choosing an email marketing service, there are several significant factors to keep in mind, from ensuring ethical marketing to integrating with your current software.